The Limbo is an alternate realm in the Drimare Universe, being a type of liminal space between the living world and the Afterlife.
It appears as a blurred and distorted parallel version of the living world.
History
Back in the earlier days of the Drimare civilization, the Sandman never accounted for the death of his creations, no Drimare had ever died before, nor was he aware that they even could die at all.
The one who first found out about it was Dawn, who in her feuds with the Sandman where she'd create shadow monsters to torment and chase after the innocent Drimare, accidentally caused the first deaths.
Sandman was unaware of this happening, and Dawn grew panicked when faced with the concept herself. She saw how the Drimare souls were now separate from their bodies, and while the bodies gave in to time and nature, the souls always persisted through it all.
Not wanting the Sandman to find out about these lost souls, Dawn created the Limbo, veiling it from the living world, as well as from the dream forger himself.
The lost souls were simply hidden away and once Sandman took notice of the missing Drimare, Dawn confessed to her stunt. The souls were taken to an Afterlife, and Sandman allowed for the Limbo to continue existing, requesting Dawn to keep her shadow monsters within that realm so they would not disturb the Drimare.
Rulers
While Dawn could be considered the ruler of the Limbo as it is her domain, the Limbo itself does not have any official rulers. Unless one is to count the Reapers, who act as caretakers of the Limbo and its lost souls.
Inhabitants
At first sight, the Limbo appears completely empty, fully devoid of any life or colour.
The Limbo can freely be accessed by the Reapers, whose scythes hold the ability to rip the veil between the two realms.
It is also inhabited by the souls of those who recently perished and acts as a "waiting room" dimension until a Reaper takes them into the Afterlife.
If a soul is not found for a few days, they will slowly learn to materialize into ghosts, in which case they will gradually fade out into the living world, unable to return to the Limbo. Reapers also have no authority over them then.
Depending on the regions, the Limbo is also inhabited by shadow monsters and other dangerous creatures. In places where the veil is thinner, these creatures can at times find themselves traveling into the living world, but the Reapers are usually quick to hunt them down and send them back.
Being a parallel to the living world, those who are currently in the living side, appear as blurred shadows on the Limbo. While it is possible to see the living from the Limbo, the opposite is not the case.
Culture
The existence of Limbo is not really common knowledge for the average Drimare, and even most of the undead don't seem to realize they were there, seeing it as just their minds trying to interpret their death.
Reapers are usually the only ones with the most knowledge of the Limbo, however they are usually secretive about sharing with the living.
Locations
Tartarus
In the living world, Tartarus is a wasteland, rumored to be far from the main world, almost like an "out of bounds" area.
While the Drimare Universe does not technically have a hell, Tartarus' Limbo is what can be closest to that concept. It is where the most dangerous monsters tend to inhabit, and the souls of those whose actions are so unforgivable will be sent out to.
It is also inhabited by Corrupted Reapers, whose despair caused them to permanently lose their original physical forms and senses of self, turning them into ruthless monsters.
Trivia
- The Limbo takes inspiration on the Dreamscape from Gravity Falls, the game Limbo, and the Upside Down from Stranger Things.
- Reapers are actually able to sense the presence of those both in the Limbo and in the living world, allowing them to know when to hop between realms.
- A Reaper in the living world can be seen from the Limbo as a more solid dark figure with bright white eyes, compared to non-Reapers who just appear as blurred figures.